A new $24 million, 32-bed multipurpose ward at Royal Darwin Hospital will open this week following long construction delays and severe capacity pressures affecting the hospital that has seen six emergency code yellows this year alone, raising concerns from health staff of an impending “health disaster”.
The suicide death of Acacia IT system contractor Shaun Joyce was emblematic of staff experiences within the “toxic, fragile and insular” workplace culture that was “cultivated by senior management” and harmful to staff, the Public Accounts Committee report has found, while his sister says project leaders have not honestly reflected on what they did and failed to do to prevent his death.
Territorians will have the option of a digital driver license by the end of this year, the NT Government has said, billing it as a “secure and convenient way” to carry and display licences on smartphones, but security concerns have previously been raised by cybersecurity experts about the potential for hacking of personal information and surveillance.
Gas will start flowing from the Beetaloo Sub-basin into the NT’s electricity grid starting Tuesday, marking a pivotal shift from years of resource exploration to production, but the Chief Minister has warned Territorians not to expect to see any reductions in their power bills.
Construction of the Manton Dam Return to Service project that will see the facility returned as a drinking water source is officially complete, a year after claims it was “nearing completion”, with the government and Power and Water Corporation stating it has come in $15 million under budget.
The Public Accounts Committee has found the troubled Acacia system should only be used to keep patient records, not replace existing NT Health IT systems, after failing to achieve the objectives it was created for, while the committee’s scathing inquiry report recommended no additional money should be allocated beyond the $335 million already spent.
Voluntary assisted dying legislation passed Parliament last night, three decades after it was first legalised, but amendments to remove restrictive clauses including the 12-month prognosis timeframe and the doctor gag clause were blocked by the CLP majority.
The Country Liberal Party has not nominated a candidate for the upcoming Mulka by-election which it dismissed Thursday as a “disruption” that will now be a contest between Labor’s candidate Yiwarr McGrath and surprise independent candidate Andrew Blamey.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro misrepresented crime statistics when she claimed this week the NT has fallen to 2017 crime levels, a claim that was made despite an official warning that older data cannot be compared with current data following the introduction of new police software, while independent MLA Justine Davis accused the CLP of blatantly manipulating statistics to create a false narrative of community safety.
UPDATED: The planning and development of data centres across the Northern Territory should be immediately halted until Territorians “know exactly what they are signing up for”, an independent MLA says, while the Labor Opposition moved a motion in Parliament Wednesday calling for an independent inquiry into the controversial projects.
Federal Labor Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has stood down from his role in the Albanese Government as special envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs and Northern Australia citing “ongoing media attention” that has become a distraction to the business of government, which follows a breach of bail charge laid against him related to ongoing allegations he assaulted the NT Administrator.
The Territory’s MLAs wrestled with their personal beliefs and their duty to their constituents with plenty of tears shed while debating the proposed Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill in Parliament on Tuesday, a bill that is expected to ultimately see the NT regain its voluntary assisted dying rights this week after losing them 30 years ago.
